Brother
by drdj2006
Summary: AU Tragedy involving Xander and Faith drives self-destructive Willow in to the arms of tragedy survivor and wilderness smart Tara. Rated M for a Reason of violence tragedy and fem-slash sex. Don't like don't read. You've been warned. Includes Buffy/Faith
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All I own is a Dog a Cat a laptop computer and a 15 year old ford Windstar van with a shot transmission. I do not own anything having to do with the BtVS universe including but not limited to (lol) the characters, plot, cast, or episodes. In fact this is an AU story so it only involves the characters. If you feel the need to sue me I'd have to say get in line behind the credit card collectors who are trying to get my money also and good luck.

AN: Not all the Military mumbo-jumbo is true. Some of it is there just to move the plot along. Mostly the Contracts are not realistic and neither is the type of unit that Faith is in. Someday we can hope but not today we still have a long way to go before then.

AN: This is the only chapter of this story to have a Beta look it over. After that my beta just had a few too many things on her plate but that's ok. I'm hoping to find a new one through going ahead and throwing this out there at the advice of my mate Grumbello. So if that doesn't work I'll blame her. LOL Any way please forgive and spelling mistakes unless you want to point them out so I can fix them, I know my spelling is horrid and is reason enough for me to need a beta. Other than that I have about 4 chapters of this already written up and ready to go. I started this years ago and it never got finished and has been bouncing around my noggin ever sense and now it's time to finish it. Let me know what you think please be honest and blunt but if you're going to be rude and hurtful don't bother I won't pay it any attention. Thank you all for reading this far and enjoy.

The girl ran out of a thorn bush-she was covered in cuts and bruises. The proof that she hadn't tried to block any of the thorns from cutting her was dripping bright red down her ivory white skin. Her emerald green eyes, red and puffy from crying, were full of fear and pain. She ran like she knew the thick forest better than anyone else, effortlessly dogging trees, jumping logs and ducking branches before she could see them. She ran past a low branch miss judging as it swiped her face just under the eye and a new trail of blood began to mix with her tears and stream down her face. She ran hard as if she was trying to make it hurt, looking for comfort in the pain.

She ran quickly as if she wasn't finding the comfort or pain she was seeking though the numbness starting to show in her eyes. She jumped over a hill that fell down into the bank. She hit the side and her knees buckled from the force, sending her tumbling down to the creek bed. She groaned and pushed herself up to a kneeling position before standing again. She swayed slightly on unsteady legs and began running again. She was slower now, starting to lose energy.  
She continued down the creek splashing through the water and mud and sandy grit. She fell, now and then, but then she stood up again and continued to run.

Her eyes were weak, showing the energy that was slowly draining away. She could no longer feel the sand and rocks grind into her skin. All she knew was the pounding of one step to the next and the impacts of her steps in to the earth. She pushed harder wanting to go faster. She found one last reserve and ran more quickly than she had before as she came up to a rocky bend in the creek. She ran up onto some rocks that were big but slanted and unstable. As she jumped from one to the next, the rocks shifted and she fell, hitting her head and twisting her leg. She tried to push herself up again but her body gave out with a groan, and she fell back against the rocks. She lay unmoving on the rocks as the water ran down stream, colored red with the girl's blood. In the background the birds chirped and the water trickled. In the distance there was a yelling so faint that it could scarcely be heard, and the words were unknown to the motionless redhead.

A blond girl walked out to the young redhead and rolled her body to lay flat on the rock. After checking her pulse, more severe cuts, and for any head injuries, the blonde lifted her from the ground. The unconscious girl let out a groan as she was hoisted up on to the blonde's shoulder. Then, the blonde calmly walked down the stream and up a hidden path leading away from the small water way.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All I own is a Dog a Cat a laptop computer and a 15 year old ford Windstar van with a shot transmission. I do not own anything having to do with the BtVS universe including but not limited to (lol) the characters, plot, cast, or episodes. In fact this is an AU story so it only involves the characters. If you feel the need to sue me I'd have to say get in line behind the credit card collectors who are trying to get my money also and good luck.

AN: Not all the Military mumbo-jumbo is true. Some of it is there just to move the plot along. Mostly the Contracts are not realistic and neither is the type of unit that Faith is in. Someday we can hope but not today we still have a long way to go before then.

AN: Not all the Military mumbo-jumbo is true. Some of it is there just to move the plot along. Mostly the Contracts are not realistic and neither is the type of unit that Faith is in. Someday we can hope but not today we still have a long way to go before then.

AN: The first chapter is the only chapter of this story to have a Beta look it over. After that my beta just had a few too many things on her plate but that's ok. I'm hoping to find a new one through going ahead and throwing this out there at the advice of my mate Grumbello. So if that doesn't work I'll blame her. LOL Any way please forgive and spelling mistakes unless you want to point them out so I can fix them, I know my spelling is horrid and is reason enough for me to need a beta. Other than that I have about 4 chapters of this already written up and ready to go. I started this years ago and it never got finished and has been bouncing around my noggin ever sense and now it's time to finish it. Let me know what you think please be honest and blunt but if you're going to be rude and hurtful don't bother I won't pay it any attention. Thank you all for reading this far and enjoy.

FLASH BACK

"Jenny I'm home." A call came from the front door as a man walked in caring a briefcase and news paper. As he waited for an answer he slid his briefcase along the wall setting it down and tucking the newspaper under his arm.

"Hi Giles how was your day." A girl wearing a cut off t-shirt and work faded blue jeans came down the stairs.

"Oh hi Buffy. Umm rather depressing acutely. Where is your mother?" A thick British accent came from the man who pulled off his coat and hung it on the coat rack by the door. He was wearing a gray tweed suit and tie. He loosened the tie and started unbuttoning the suit jacket.

"They went out to the barn to check on the horses." The girl picked up the news paper and shuffled through it until she found the funnies and pulled it out.

"Now you have it all out of order. I'm going to have to try to figure it out and put it back together." the man picked up the scrambled pages and looked through the mess.

"Relax it's not that bad and Will can go through it before you get to reading and put it back in order" Buffy looked over the Comic strip "Goodie they have Marmaduke in this one. I love that dog. Hay can we get a Great Dane?" She walked away reading the short stories and laughing.

"Hi honey" he herd behind him and turned to see his wife and other daughter enter the door. "I thought you were going to be late tonight"

"Hi dear." He kissed his wife and hugged his daughter. In a sad voice he continued "Sadly I received some news today, and decided I needed to come home."

"Oh dear what happened" a worried look crossed over her face as she saw Rupert look down. "Is everything ok?"

He shook his head and pulled an envelope out of his pocket. "We should do this with Buffy here also" He looked in the direction his eldest daughter had gone.

"Of course dear. Willow go get your sister" She put a hand on Willows back and guided her in the right direction before continuing in a hushed tone "What is it Rupert" She held out her hand for the envelope and waited for him to hand it to her.

He handed her the envelope "It's Xander and Faith."

She pulled out the letter and red it quickly "No it can't... they can't... Willow..."

"I know it will be hard on her, hard on both of them." he watched as the girls walked back in to the hall by the door with their parents.

"What will be hard on whom?" Willow turned to Buffy looking worried.

"Mom Dad what happened" Buffy looked to the papers in her moms hands.

Rupert put a hand on his wife's shoulder "Girls something has happened with..."

"Xander and Faith" Willow began to shake "I... I can see the names" Willow grabbed the envelope and papers with shaking hands and watery eyes she read.

"They were on a search and recover hostage mission in Kufa Iraq" Rupert started.

"Their bodies weren't found. They could be alive and hostage or something" Willow looked to Buffy both shaking and crying.

"Willow baby" Jenny held Willow's face in her hands "our best wish for them is to be… and not hostage. We don't want them to be suffering. "

"A witness said that everyone was killed and he left for dead" Rupert looked down "I'm sorry girls. I know what they meant to you and..."

"Meant… what they meant to us." Willow choked through a sob "He means the world to me. They mean to world to us." She gestured to Buffy who was standing there shocked as her usually easy going bubbly sister broke down yelling at her parents like she had never seen before. "Xander is my brother the only thing that has always been there for me." She stopped yelling and wrapped her arms around herself as her eyes glassed over remembering her past. "When I was left alone he kept me alive and safe. He held me that night he let me cry like I would never stop. He was strong even though he had been left just as I had been, even though he was just as scared and worried and lost as I was. He is all I've had my entire life." she dropped the papers and looked up at the man "He means everything to me and nothing will ever change that and you will never understand."

"What did I miss" A voice came from the door. A man stood there in a black leather coat and jeans. His skin was white and his hair was bleached from the sun.

Willow looked over and a new wave of anger came rushing down on the man "Spike you insensitive prick ass bastard." Willow rammed in to him shoving him back against the still open door.

"Bloody hell" he cried when the door knob rammed in to his back.

"Willow" Rupert called after her "Willow come back"

"Willow" Buffy ran out the door and tried to keep up but failed when Willow got to the woods. "Shit she always does this" Buffy was breathing heavy when she stopped "Willow" she screamed hopping it would help but it didn't "Where the fuck does she go when she runs." Buffy went back in to the house to start a search party "God I miss you Faith you could always find her."

END FLASH BACK

The air was thick and smelled heavily of lavender oil. Willow recognized the smell from all the times she would burn it. It is used for easing depression and speeding the healing process. She felt like shit, not only did her head throb but her entire body throbbed. She tried to move but her head swam with a wave of nausea and pain. She groaned as she relaxed in to the bed. The bed was soft and warm she couldn't ever remember being so comfortable. She knew she wasn't home but somehow she wasn't scared she was relaxed and felt safe in a way she only felt with Xander.

Willow opened her eyes and saw that she was in a cabin like room, or that's what it looked like. She tried to sit up again and groaned as the nausea came back. She pushed even harder wanting to sit up but her muscles were screaming and she couldn't quite make it. She started to relax when a hand started to push on her lower neck and between her shoulders. With the help Willow was able to sit up and look to see who had helped her.

"You shouldn't be trying to sit up" a girl stood beside her with her hand still on Willows back. "You're weak and hurt and don't look so good."

Willow looked at the girl in surprise "Wh..?" She tried to ask who the girl was but her voice was scratchy and trying to talk made her throat hurt and her cough. When the coughing faded she tried again but choosing to ask where instead of who "wher..?" but she didn't get any farther in that question either.

"I'm Tara and this is my house" she raised her hand holding up a glass of something thick and brown looking like a chocolate milkshake "Now I have some questions." Tara pulled a small table over to the bed while Willow took a long slow drink of the milkshake to calm her throat. "Who are you?"

"Me... um... I'm no-one." With a pain filled groan Willow moved so that she was leaning on the wall.

"Ok so do you have a name or do I just call you no one?" Tara was putting assorted dishes on the small table.

"Oh my name is Willow" she looked down at her legs and arms and for the first time realized how cut up she was.

"The worst is on your head Willow" Tara noticed that she was checking out her cuts and marks. "From your last fall I think it's just under your hair line. Then another one under your eye it was hard to fix up. You shouldn't be able to feel the pain I have a lot of numbing meds on it." She handed some pills to willow and some water. "Take this it should help with the rest of the pain."

"Um. what is it" Willow looked at the pills.

"Simple aspirin for the body aches and chocolate milkshake cause it makes a sore dry throat feel better and face it who doesn't love chocolate." she turned back to the table "are you hungry?"

Willow took the pills and looked up quickly "yes very hungry, very, very hungry, stressing the very in very, very hungry. I haven't eaten since breakfast it was time for lunch when I left. So what do we have, what kind of food. Well I really don't care what kind of food. As long as it's eatable it's good enough for me. I'm sorry I tend to babble and that can be bad and when I ramble I start to notice it but then I ramble about my rambling and you should stop me but seeing as you're not I'm just going do it myself and be quiet now." Willow looked down and put her hand on her head feeling for the cuts.

Tara stared for a moment before she smiles and chuckled "oh goddess" she continued now laughing "sorry" more laughing "its just" even more laughing "that was so cute" she finished laughing and wiped a tears from her eyes. "Your throat must be feeling alright." A few more chuckles "Was that all in one breath?"

"Yes and it was not funny." Willow felt the cut on her forehead "and why or how do I have stitches in my head?"

"There are some under your eye too." Tara handed Willow a mirror "I had to put them in the cut was too deep and split to grow back together on its own but now it shouldn't scar too much. Wouldn't want such soft skin scared"

Will blushed and looked down "So food" Tara handed Willow a plate and utensils "I will be back soon."

"Where are you going? When will you get back? What do I do while you're gone?" Willow panicked as Tara walked away.

Tara turned to face Willow while she answered her questions "I'm going out to get some herbs and other natural gifts. I shouldn't be more than an hour. You will eat then probably fall asleep, side effect of medicine and pain." The worry on Willows face prompted her to continue "Relax your safe here I don't know what you were running from but it won't get you here"

Willow nodded sadly remembering what she was running from and watched Tara leave as she ate her food. "It's not something that I can run from though." She said softly to herself with a sigh. She looked around and saw that the room she was in wasn't only one room but it was connected to a hall with one or more rooms off that. The room was big and had cupboards and shelves all over. There were book cases filled and over flowing with books a collection that Giles would kill for.

As her thought turned to the man who had acted as the only father she had ever known she remembered how she treated him. She was upset about Xander he was her brother and the only blood family that was worth the blood but Giles had been a father to Xander too. In one foul swoop Giles, and Jenny, had lost Xander who was his son and Faith who was his daughter. Buffy had lost them too and Faith had been her lover for almost 3 years now. After Will and Xander had been sent to live with the family Buffy and Faith had helped them adjust to being part of a real family quickly becoming sisters to them.

Willow pushed the thoughts from her mind and looked around the room once again seeing many different candles and oils and incense placed about the room. She looked up at the ceiling and found a multi colored star and circle, _note to self ask about the ceiling_. With that she finished her food, feeling slightly less pain, lay down and curled up under the blankets. Feeling warm and safe she pushed all thoughts of Xander and Faith and her family from her mind and fell in to a dark dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See chapters 1 and 2

Buffy sat in front of a desk in a dark room, a lamp spilling light over a mound of shuffled papers. An empty coffee cup on the only clear square of desk and a file she was searching through on the top of the pile. Sighing she picked up another file and tried to take a drink of her coffee. "How can I be out of coffee again I just got some. Gah… nothing is working." She dropped her head to the desk letting the hand holding the coffee cup drop to the side of the desk. "The world is against me it hates me it wants me to die." Sarcasm and intended melodrama dripped from her words.

There was a chuckle at the door and Buffy turned to see her mom shaking her head at said melodrama. "Buffy dear. Why don't you take a break? You haven't eaten or slept since Willow left two days ago. You won't be able to help anyone if you don't take care of yourself first." Jenny stood at Buffy's door with a plate of food. "Here eat this while you work and then take a shower and get some sleep."

Buffy handed her mom her empty cup and a plate of untouched old food "It sounds great, but I can't mom. I have to do something." She took the plate of fresh food from her mom and a new cup of coffee. "I can't just sit here doing nothing."

"It's ok dear." Jenny hugged Buffy and walked away "Eat. Sleep... for me... please." It wasn't a question or request it was a mother's authority.

"I will mom." Buffy turned back to her desk one thought on her mind. _Once I find my sister, my brother, and my lover._ A lone tear fell down Buffy's cheek as she laid her head in her hands. _They can't be dead I'd know so would Willow if she just took the time to think about it she would know too. We would feel it if they were dead. Somehow I know we would._ With that final though and a sigh, she went back to the papers covering her desk, her only hope hidden within. Her eyes landed on an over turned paper under the desk. Buffy picked it up and turned it over. As she read over the paper her brow furrowed and concentration covered her face. Food forgotten, again, she read over the paper and began digging through and scattering the other pages on her desk until she found what she was looking for. With a wide grin she rushed from her room knocking her coffee to the floor and ran down stairs.

"Mom" Buffy called as she descended the stairs "Dad" she jumped the last group of stirs and took off toward the living room.

At that time her parents came around the corner to meet her in the hall. "What is it what's wrong sweetie? Are you ok? What was the big thud? And..." the questions faded as Buffy handed her parents the pages she had found.

"What are we looking at honey" Giles was slowly reading the paper "I see that this is Xander's contract but what about it. I am not the law based mind of the family you are."

"A FBI field agent wanna-be is far from a contractual master mind. Either way this page is one from Xander's contract yes and Faiths is an exact copy." She said taping on the top of the stack. "And these…"

"…Are the ones we got telling us of their deaths." Giles finished looking at the rest of the stack. "But what am I not seeing in these that you are?"

"Read right here." Buffy said pointing at a place on the page with a post it note place marker and line holding Xander's signature.

"All solders are missing in action or absent without leave until proven otherwise." Jenny read out loud "and again I ask please put this in common terms. What does this mean?"

"This means that they must go find them and send them home no mater what state they are in. They can't be proclaimed dead until they find a body with their dog-tags or a body that is proven theirs by DNA or Dental records. Or until 7 years have passed without any sign of them." At the pause and blank looks her parents were giving her she continued "They have to keep looking not just take a single mans word for it." Buffy watched as her parents blank looks turned sad "Ok what is it I'm all with the woo and the hoo and you're not."

"Buffy" Giles began "like we told Willow it is better to hope that they are dead and not captured."

"Trust me I know that" Buffy gathered the papers again "but a funeral would offer more closure with a body rather than without." Buffy stopped and the toile of the last few days became visible over her entire being as she sighed and dropped her head. "I would want nothing more than to have Faith back here in my arms and Xander giving Willow a look of pure confusion as she tries to explain Sudoku to him. But if them being alive right now means they are dyeing slow and painfully in a terrorists' prison or camp then I would kill them myself than leave them there to suffer. At the same time if they are already dead I want them here in our home town cemetery with a funeral of a hero a warrior. What they deserve as American Soldiers who fought and died for their country. Where I can go and talk to her and be with her as close to her as I can."

Giles and Jenny reached out and pulled their daughter in to a hug between them holding her tightly. "We want that too honey." her mother whispered

Willow woke up to find the room dark and still. A thin beam of light came from under the door where a hall light was lit. "Great, I got to pee. Grrr stupid bladder. Oh this is gonna hurt." Willow slowly sat up groaning at the pain coursing through her body it wasn't as intense as earlier and she could sit up on her own with enough work. Yet the pain was still very percistant at reminding her how hard her run had been. "Oh boy I don't even know where the bathroom is, haven't needed it yet." She moved to the edge of the bed and braced herself to stand up. "I haven't done this yet either gulp this will be interesting to say the least." She pushed down against the bed with her hands and stood up with minimum difficulty but as soon as her full weight was on her own two feet searing pain shot through her left leg. She almost collapsed to the floor from the pain but luckily at the last moment caught herself against the bed. She sat back down and though of waiting for Tara but decided she needed to go too bad. She slowly made her back in to a standing position and flexed her ankle. She felt something wrapped around her ankle and looked down to find an ACE wrap there. She wondered how bad it was but pushed that though away as her bladder reminded her that she had to pee. Slowly she leaned weight on her foot. This time without the surprise of the immense pain she was able to bear the pain enough to hold herself up. She limped her way slowly to the door and opened it quietly. She looked down the hall and noticed it only went one way, and on the wall was a piece of paper by the door.

Willow

If you try to walk I figure you're going to the bathroom. But I don't suggest walking on your ankle which I'm sure you have noticed by now if you've made it this far. You gave it a good sprain and maybe more damage than just a sprain. So I figure you're in a good deal of pain but I thought you might need to go to the bathroom. So I put up a few signs to help you get there and there is some more medicine in a bottle on the table by the bed. The lamp on the table is also a touch lamp. And there's a bottle of water and a box of Pop-tarts eat a pack of pop-tarts and drink the water with four pills and the pain should subside enough for you to fall back asleep.

Hope you don't mind just thought they would help. Good night.

Tara

Willow smiled at the thoughtfulness and silently thanked Tara as she followed the signs to the bathroom. Each one had a little note on it explaining something or another about what they were hung on. A few pieces of art were even art done by Tara herself. As Willow returned from the bathroom she noticed other rooms in the house, it was much bigger than she had originally thought. She passed by a door that was slightly ajar and heard a rapid movement and something like a whimper shortly followed by a cry. She stopped and listened at the door until she heard it again. As Willow became worried she pushed the door open enough for her to see a bed and Tara laying on it curled in a ball crying as she slept. Willow walked into the room and painfully knelt by the bed.

"Tara wake up it's just a bad dream" She reached forward and shook Tara's shoulder lightly. "Tara?" Willow asked as Tara moved to wrap her arms around Willow in her sleep. Willow sat there for a moment her pain forgotten she moved on to the bed holding Tara in her lap. She could feel the girl was shaking and could hear the faint whimpers caused by the dream.

It was dark, you couldn't see anything, and it was cold, and wet, or at least it felt wet, it smelt of mold and dirt and decay. It was quiet, so quiet. There was this feeling of being surrounded by something but it was so dark and quite that it was be impossible to find. Yet the feeling was still there, almost thick in the air. Knowing something is there looking for it but to dark to see it.

Then it starts, barely a sound, you heard just to your right. You turn and look but there's nothing but blackness. Your eyes can't even tell if you have moved or not. Then it's behind you. You turn again. It moves again and you turn to it, breathing faster and faster with every turn pressing the border of hyperventilation. Then it's in two places. You realize there's more than one. Above and behind, left and right, their everywhere, to dark to see them to dark to find them, they get louder. Now you can tell that the noise is a scratching, squeaking, and scrambling all around, hearing them moving and not knowing where it is or how to avoid them.

It's terrifying you jump each time it moves. You fear the touch of whatever creature it is. The thickness in the air turns in to a creepy-crawling feeling air not quite touching your skin. Then you realize you don't have clothes on. There's nothing, no cloth, no clothes, not even a scrap to cover you or protect you from the creepy-crawling feeling of the air touching your tinder skin. Then it's not just in the air it's on your unprotected feet first, it starts pinching painfully rising over and up your feet then there's a poking and prodding feeling joining. It moves up further over your feet and ankles, then passing your caves. It leaves a coating of the feeling over everything it passes You move trying to stop it but it continues up your knees, slowly over thighs, and up further still. You try to wipe it away but the feel of your hand on your skin never comes. You try again and again but it never comes and the feeling continues to crawl. You can't push your hands past that feeling to your skin no matter how you try. It covers your legs and spreads higher. Dipping between your legs it covers the lips of your sex dipping in and surrounding your entrance but stopping just before going inside. The feeling moves around and over a round tight ass stopping at the edge of the hole and up the hips and continuing up further more. The crawling and pinching wrapping around the waist and traveling higher up growing harder and more painful with each passing moment. It's just under your fully exposed breast causing your nipples to grow hard and stiff. The pricks clamped tightly around your hardened nipples squeezing painfully as if trying to break through the sensitive skin. It moves higher to your upper chest, it gets hard to breathe like there's a weight on your chest. It moves up to your shoulders then stops. You hope for it to finally stop it slow accent but it continues down both arms and past elbows to the tips of your nimble figures. On your fingerer tips it's the feeling of needles being stabbed into your skin. After covering your fingers and arms the feeling moves up over your shoulders and neck. Everything becomes slow as it creeps up squeezing the neck so slowly making breathing even harder as it chokes you and moves to under your shaking chin. Pinching its way over and stopping just under a quivering lip but continuing back and up through thick hair and over the top of your head. Surrounding your eyes but stopping over your eye lids it's covering your ears but just the outside. It closes in around your nose stopping under the nose and above the upper lip.

You pray for it to stop their as it just sits on your skin covering you in the intense feeling of circulation being cut off and your entire body falling asleep but your mentally aware of it all and the pain is worse than you've ever felt or could imagine. Tears fill your eyes and you think they are falling down your face but you can't feel them after they leave your eyes. Thinking is it done you wonder if this feeling will last forever and begging that it doesn't get worse, but it does. Without warning the feeling dives into the body at every opening spreading so quickly that it feels like it should rip the body apart. Yet it doesn't it nearly fills the body when a warm safe sensation wraps around your waist. The warmth grows and spreads and the creepy-crawling is chased from the body. .

The warmth grows stronger once the creepy- crawling is gone and the scurrying scraping sound is replaced with soft whispers. The smell of dirt and mold becomes a strawberry patch on warm summer night. The dark becomes a black light of waking from a deep sleep.

The wipers became soft words and the words became comforting sentences calming the memory of the dream away. Eyes opened to see a silky soft golden red and the strawberry patch only became stronger as the sleep faded from Tara's body. Feeling she was safe in Willow's arms Tara snuggled closer wrapping her arms more comfortably around Willow's neck holding her close instead of clinging with a deadly grip.

When Willow felt Tara shift she started to pull away to leave and let Tara have some space. However Tara tightened her grip once again and whispered "Stay?" and when Willow didn't answer she added "Please I know it's strange but please stay with me?"

Willow curled back up to Tara hearing the fear of being alone thick in her voice. Together they relaxed holding each other close Willow whispered "It's ok I'll stay."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See chapters 1and 2

* * *

When Willow woke the next morning, the bed was empty. Feeling Tara's cooled pillow proved that she had been gone for a while. Willow's muscles were allowing her a fuller range of movement, but that didn't mean they liked it. Groaning, Willow crawled out of bed and went to search for the blonde.

Standing outside of the bedroom she realized that the house was much larger than she had first thought. The hall she stood on stretched both ways for six or seven doors then turned or connected to another hall. _I wonder if that right hand maze thing would work here._ She decided to go right and into the connected hall. Looking left and right she noticed that this hall was much like the last stretching on and on with many doors and then turning at the end. Again she followed the right hand myth down the next hall and again at the next. This third hall was the shortest of all but turned into another hall at the end. After turning she noticed that the hall looked oddly familiar. As she continued along she passed a bathroom. After quickly back tracking to use the bathroom she moved on, and then passed an open door. Looking into the open door she realized that she was back where she started.

_Ok now what?_ Then turning around she walked back past the bathroom to the short hall and down another hall. Here she found steps going down to a door. Through tall skinny window you could see that the door led outside. _Oh yeah, I'm getting somewhere. I could go around the front, find a door, a door-bell and someone would let me in. Yeah, that would work._

Quickly Willow ran down the stairs and yanked open the door jumping past it and slamming the door behind her. That's when she noticed what she had jumped into, a big, long, smelly, barn. _Oh great, when will I learn to look before I leap? Is the door open?_ She turned around and tried to open the door. _Nope, it would be locked of course. So now I guess I have to walk through it. Gulp... I hope she doesn't have horses. Well here goes nothing._

Willow began to walk down the middle of the barn with her arms wrapped around herself. She got about half way down the hall when she heard a noise. It was a noise she recognized, a noise that terrified her; a cross between a snort and someone rolling there tongue. Her mind went black as she turned around and looked into her own reflected eyes. The cold dark black mirror like eyes of the biggest, blackest, scariest horse she had ever seen. They stood eye to eye for a moment before the horse again snorted in her face. Willow jumped and let out a screech that startled the horse causing it to rear up and kick into the air. Screaming, Willow took her cue to leave and ran down the barn and out the door.

Once outside Willow looked around to see where she was. _Well I'm smart. I've never been outside Tara's house._ She looked up and down the tree line. _Is that a security gate? Damn, how big is this place? Shit Tara you're loaded! I guess I'm going toward the fence._

As willow moved from the barn to the front of the house; she was no longer walking on a smooth dirt floor but instead on grass. There were acorns and small sticks that had been chopped up from a lawn mower that hurt her feet. _Shit, why didn't I wear shoes? Like I even know where they are._

Willow continued walking along the house until she stepped onto something warm that squished between her toes. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked down. "Dog shit! Gross!" _Wow could this get any worse._ Just as the thought passed her mind a growling came from behind her. Turing around to look she saw a large dark brown dog crouched behind her. Slowly backing away she thought _I have no luck with animals today._ The dog lunged at Willow and she quickly dodged him and ran.

Racing around the house she soon saw the front door and leapt up the steps three or four at a time. When she reached the door she banged on it and rang the door bell. The dog rushed up the steps after her causing her to panic. Willow closed her eyes and prepared for the worst when suddenly the door opened and she fell forward.

"Oz! No! Bad dog! Bad dog!"

Willow opened her eyes to see the dog, Oz, try to stop by sitting down and sliding off the edge of the steps and into a bush. Willow blinked a couple times then looked up into the eyes of her savior.

"Tara?"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: See chapters 1 and 2

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Fourteen days before Willow found herself the focus of a horse and the target of a dog, Faith stood on the second story of an abandoned shell of a building. The floor continued to shake even as the sounds of explosions ended, leaving a ringing in the ears of anyone around. Faith rolled from leaning against the wall to crouching behind the window, her M16 resting on the window sill and aimed. Her target, the building across the square that held a group of Iraqi nationalists that had opened fire upon her and her unit. She scoped the windows for any sign of movement suggesting the group might still be there. Her unit had already evacuated the building and was well on the way back to base. She had stayed in the building on the second floor to cover them as much as she could until they were able to get out of the building and back to the humvees. Now it was her turn to leave. She watched her target as she thought of a way to escape the building she was in.

The assault on the already fragile building had left it standing, but Faith knew another explosion would render the entire structure a pile of rubble and dust. That was a pile she didn't want to see from the inside. True she could live through a two story fall; she had before and would again. What she wasn't sure she'd survive were the additional three stories that would come down on top of her. At the possibility that she could survive it, she didn't want to dig her way through the mass amounts of rubble. Even if she pulled herself out, her unit would have long since returned to base and she would be stranded in a red zone.

Faith shook the thoughts of the crumbling building from her head and went back to thinking of a way to make her escape. Normally she would take the stairs back down and out as her unit had done, but now there was a gaping hole in the floor that had been filled with the wreckage a few lucky grenades had left behind. This was no longer an option. She could easily rig a system to propel out of a window, but that would make her the perfect target for anyone with a gun and non-American-friendly thoughts. This ruled out that option as well. Then again, there might be a hole in the floor that would allow her to simply drop to the lower level and find a way out. Either way she had to hurry, the plan was for Xander to get the unit to the humvees and load one up with all the soldiers, excluding Xander and one other soldier, and send it on its way back to the base. Xander and the remaining soldier would wait at most fifteen minutes, or knowing Xander twenty. According to her count they should have already been there six minutes, leaving her only fourteen at the most nine at the least.

Giving the building across the square one last look, Faith raised her M16 and scanned the room around her. There were no walls dividing the floor into rooms. Debris was scattered randomly about the room either from the building decaying from age, or from the many attacks it had undoubtedly undergone like the one Faith had witnessed. She scanned the floor along her wall before moving forward to search the middle of the floor where the building was the weakest. She was having no luck finding even the hint of a hole.

Moving forward she came upon the only casualty of the attack, Coman Ghannam. Coman Ghannam, was an Iraqi man who was providing information on the exact group who had been firing on Faith and her unit. The bullet that had taken him out was the start of the fire fight and Faith's unit had returned fire immediately. Once things settled Xander checked the Iraqi, but it was too late. Faith looked down on the man with sorrow. They had been working with Coman for months now trying to stop the terror that the Iraqi nationalists were causing in this particular sector. Faith stepped past the body to continue searching the room when her boot caught on something nearly knocking her to the ground. Looking down Faith found a hand wrapped around her ankle. Almost in a state of panic she raised her M16 to her shoulder with the tip of the barrel against the head of the body.

Calm dying eyes rose to meet Faith's terror filled eyes. Realizing that Coman was still alive she dropped to her knees to lift him trying to find a way to get them both out. The dying man shook his head as she tried to lift him. "No… I would not make it…and I fear… it would cost you your life… to try." He spoke around pained pants. "In the corner… by the stairs… a service lift… down to the next floor." He pointed and she nodded seeing the space where once a door blocked the lift when not in use. Coman held out his hand to Faith clutching a necklace chain. Pulling the chain from his hand revealed a small pendant. On one side there was a white crescent moon and star on a red background. The symbol she knew was Islamic. On the back there was an engraving in what she thought must be Arabic but she couldn't understand it. "Allah… protect you… my friend." Coman's voice was a faint whisper. She slid the pendant in to her breast pocket.

Faith took Comans's hand and held it tight, thumbs interlocked and palm to palm. "God's peace Coman Ghannam. God's peace." As she let his limp hand slide from her grasp she closed his vacant eyes and stood.

Checking her watch Faith knew that Xander should be in the humvee and racing back to the base. Running to the stairs she could see the small shaft that housed an old service lift. The shaft was only about two feet by two feet with all her gear it would be a tight fit. She leaned forward hoping that the path was unblocked to the ground floor. With a sigh of relief she was able to see a clear path down. The equipment that had once worked the lift had long ago been stolen for one reason or another.

Faith gave the room another look before slinging her M16 over her shoulder and stepping up on the ledge that once was a door. The wall was rough under her hands as she ducked in to the opening and braced herself against the far wall. Very carefully she turned around so she was facing the wall with the openings to each floor. With one her arms braced against the side walls she moved one foot to the back wall and slowly moved the other off the ledge until she supported her own weight. Still moving slowly she held herself up with only her legs and lowered her hands as far as she could before switching her weight to her hands to move her legs. Moving down the shaft she switched from her hands to her legs to hands to legs moving down faster than she expected. Soon she felt the heel of her boot slide off the wall into the opening to the first floor. She reached down as far as she could before taking her weight on her tired arms and brought her legs together. With a swing of her legs she let go of the wall sliding easily out of the shaft to land in a crouching position, both feet on the floor ready for anything. Her M16 was back in her hands and rose surveying the room before she had landed in her crouching position. Satisfied that the room was clear Faith turned to make her way out of the room and back to where the humvees had been while they were inside. Expecting to see nothing but sand she was surprised to find a grinning Xander and Corporal Frederick Cabot. Relief quickly filled her as she hurried towards the waiting men.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See chapters 1 and 2

AN: A very special thanks to Sky King Haruka Tenoh who has been kind enough to be the Beta-Reader. She has done chapters 4-6 and I hope she will continue to do so throughout the rest of the story. Thanks again.

And thank you for the reviews I have gotten I enjoy them very much and take what you all say in consideration as I continue to write. Thank you.

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Xander followed the rest of the unit down the stairs. He knew what the plan was but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was not going to work out. Thinking about it now would get someone else killed and he did not want to lose one of his boys or Faith's girls. Holding tighter to the M16 that was raised to his shoulder and aimed at the ground to his left he focused on getting off the stairs and out of the building. The rattle of the Iraqi Nationalists' gun fire was returned by the louder rattle of Faith's and he sent up a short prayer. Then the explosions started shaking the building to its core and Xander and his unit with it.

Xander jumped from the stairway over the last four steps as another explosion rocked the building. With his feet hitting the floor he looked back hoping to see Faith behind him, but all she could see was the stair well crumbling. Covering his head he ran from the stairs and falling debris heading toward the door but was soon surrounded in a thick cloud of dust. The dust and sand that filled his eyes mouth and nose was so thick he could feel his spit turn to mud. Coughing as it threatened to fill his lungs and choke the air out of him. Raising his M16 a little higher he held out his left hand in case he found a wall instead of the door. The dust was so thick his hand was almost disappearing in the cloud. He ran towards what he thought was the door and was relieved as the cloud started to thin out and finally he was out the door. The unit stood by the humvees. Some of the soldiers were coughing and covered in dust, just as he was, while others were standing around scanning their surroundings making sure they were safe. Doing a quick head count Xander noticed there was only one person missing and she was still in the building where they had left her.

"Load up." He called out in a gruff voice dry from dust and sand. Two of Faith's girls got the front as two others climbed in the back followed by three of his men. Only Xander and Corporal Frederick Cabot waited, standing beside the second humvee, and watched as the driver gave them a salute and drove off back to the base.

There was a silence when the humvee could no longer be heard. Xander looked back up at the building and the floor that had his sister. As he watched for any sign of movement or show of what was happening, it was no surprise when the sound of his alarm went off telling him that his 20 minutes were up. His eyes searched the building once more, looking for anything through the still settling cloud of dust, but there was nothing to be seen.

Xander's shoulders slumped as he knew that now he and Cabot had to go back to the base and leave Faith, his sister and best friend, behind and alone. A hand on his shoulder caused him to turn and open the humvee door. "I think we can wait a little longer seeing as she has to find a way down that is not the stairway." Cabot's words stopped Xander.

"You know what the plan is Cabot." Xander replied.

"I know Sir. And I know she is your sister and I would want to wait on my sister." Cabot held all emotion from his voice and face, coming off as the perfect little soldier.

Xander let out a goofy grin and Cabot's soldier façade broke in to a returning smile as they turned back to the building waiting.

Ten minutes later Xander was preparing to give up. Five more minutes and they would drive back without her. Then a flash of movement caught his eye. His grip tightened on his M16, muscles ready to pull up aim and fire into any threat. What was standing in front of the pile of rubble that was once the stairs was none other than Faith. She seemed to have appeared right out of the wall and she was standing in the same defensive type of stance as Xander. Xander could feel them both relax a little as their eyes met. Xander knew his sister was alive and Faith knew she was not alone in a Red Zone.

Cabot opened the humvee door and got ready to jump in the back as Faith was running towards them. Xander waited, needing a hug or handshake, a pat on the back, or anything, to reassure himself that she was okay. Then there was another explosion and fear gripped Xander's insides as he saw the critical supports in the building fail. The building started coming down and Xander watched as large pieces of the building were falling all around the running Faith. As far as Xander could see, Faith was running and dodging well, but she didn't see the one piece that hit her and took her to the ground until it was too late. Xander watched her fall and was filled with horror as more pieces fell around her and trapped her.

Xander ran into the rain of building rubble reaching for her. If nothing else, he could pull her out and take her home. She had come so far. He couldn't leave her there now. That was the last thing to cross his mind before a stab of pain at his temple and darkness enveloped his life.

* * *

Cabot tried to grab Xander as he ran away from the Humvee and in to the falling debris. Once Xander was dodging falling rocks, Cabot stopped and watched as one caught Xander in the head. Cabot was only feet away from where Xander fell. If he was quick he could grab him and pull him back out. It was worth the risk to only lose one of the Unit leaders. Before he could even take the first step, a grenade fell about halfway between him and the building followed by three more. Cabot quickly turned and ran for the Humvee and its open door. He dove into the humvee just as another round of grenades exploded much closer to him. Shrapnel covered his back and legs. Just before the pain induced unconsciousness swallowed him whole, he slammed the door shut and locked the humvee down.

* * *

As Cabot's body adjusted to the shock and pain, he came back in to consciousness. He was just conscious enough to pull himself to the front of the humvee and look out at what use to be a building. He could see where the area had been littered with grenades. He seriously doubted that either of the siblings had survived. If he didn't find a way to get back, he wouldn't make it either. Then he saw movement at the far side of what used to be the building. Two men carrying M16s were searching through the ruble. He managed to pull his M16 from the back seat and raise it to his shoulder just in case he needed it. He sunk down as far as he could and still be able to see the men and what they were doing.

The men stopped close to where Faith had gone down. One reached down and flipped some larger slabs of concrete over before pulling a body free of the rocks. The second man was doing the same but he was standing in the middle of what was the first floor. Looking closer, the first man had Faith and the second had Coman Ghannam. The second man dropped Coman without a second though while the first rifled through Faith's gear. When he found what he was looking for, he dropped her next to Coman before finding what he was looking for and dropping her next to Coman. The second man stopped again and started digging through the rocks. The first man joined him and together they pulled Xander out and searched his gear as well before dropping him with Faith. The second man pulled out a bag and dropped it on the pile of bodies. The two men hurried back in the direction they had come from.

Cabot watched them until they were out of sight. Then he started to open the door to get out and go get all three bodies. When he turned to look where he was going all he could see was a flash before an explosion and a shock wave slammed the humvee door closed and managed to flip it on to its side. The force knocked Cabot back in to darkness.


End file.
